Events

Wednesday, June 18 2014

The humble apron gets a fascinating re-evaluation in this traveling exhibit of 51 vintage and contemporary kitchen aprons that are both utilitarian and works of art. Featuring aprons from as early as 1900, the exhibit chronicles changing attitudes toward women and domestic work and presents aprons as vehicles for self-expression.

For more than a century, the Kansas City Stockyards fed a nation hungry for fresh meat. The heyday of the stockyards is long gone, undermined by flood, environmental concerns, and shifting economics. But this powerful financial engine is celebrated in Cowtown: History of the Kansas City Stockyards, a new exhibition of photographs, blueprints, drawings, and documents culled from more than 5,000 items retrieved from a Livestock Exchange Building storeroom in 2008.

Hixon transformed the field of portrait photography in Kansas City and the surrounding region during a career that spanned more than seven decades. His studios—the first in the Brady Building at 11th and Main Streets, and the second just one block west in the Baltimore Hotel—welcomed thousands of patrons throughout the 1910s and 1920s.

Central Library’s ESL classes are small, with excellent one-on-one
help in areas of conversation, pronunciation, grammar, math, and
American life. Classes are free, and parking in the Library garage is free to ESL students.

Fizz, Boom, Pow! A science experiment has gone terribly wrong and the animals have taken over the lab. Will they take over the world? Join StoneLion and Einstein R Rat, super genius, in this wacky musical to answer that question as well as learn about the three states of matter, magnetic attraction and other awesome science concepts!

Every Monday and Wednesday at 5:30, catch these study sessions designed for adults to help obtain a General Equivalency Diploma, the equivalent of a high school diploma. Pre-registration is required. Call the Adult Basic Education Office at 816-418-7150.

BOOK RELEASE AND SIGNING EVENT AT KANSAS CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY—CENTRAL BRANCH

Dads Behaving DADLY: 67 Truths, Tears and Triumphs of Modern Fatherhood (Motivational Press, 2014) explain how dads are becoming more involved parents without sacrificing their masculinity. Dads of different socio-economic backgrounds, races and family structures candidly describe successes they have achieved as actively, involved parents and how they felt about them. Their honest, heart-warming, and humorous stories provide an in-depth look into how fatherhood has changed.

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) is among the most overlooked presidents in U.S. history even though his progressive values helped shape the course of the nation.

In a discussion of his new book, John Quincy Adams: American Visionary, Fred Kaplan sheds light on a leading abolitionist and fervent Federalist who championed both individual liberty and the government’s role in driving progress and prosperity. Adams’ forward-thinking values, definition of leadership, and vision for the future are as much about 21st century America as his own time.

This event is part of the Hail to the Chiefs series co-presented by the Truman Library Institute and made possible by a Legacy Fund grant by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.